Projecting a Cam Newton contract equivalent in MLB’s offseason

4. Matt Wieters: $8,300,000

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

A premium is always placed on catchers with defensive and offensive skill sets who hit free agency. Look no further than Russell Martin from last year’s offseason biddings. Matt Wieters will fall into this same category as well, despite being a liability to stay healthy, unlike Martin.

So far, the Baltimore Orioles’ $8.3 million in 2015 has bought them zero at-bats from Wieters. In 2014, his $7.7 million salary equated to only 104 at-bats. The 28-year-old did hit .249/.315/.434 from 2011-13 with 67 total home runs. GM’s will look at that, and his age heading into the 2016 season, plus the pool of other catchers available in free agency. With rather un-inspiring names like Chris Iannetta and Dioner Navarro being the next best available, Wieters is set to cash in.

Even if his audition for a new contract in baseball’s second half this year leaves room for improvement, it shouldn’t matter. GM’s will chalk that up to him getting re-acclimatized to the game after being out of action for over 12 months due to Tommy John surgery. GM’s will also look at what Wieters was doing in 2014 before he went down. He appeared to be on the verge of a breakout season, hitting .308 with five homers and 18 RBI in only 26 games.

As a position player that required TJ being a big enough red flag to begin, it also limits his versatility on defense moving forward. Add to that Wieters is only a career .257 hitter (Martin was a .259 career hitter before signing his $82 million deal), and he’s bound to be overpaid. Martin won’t be worth $20 million in 2019 at age 36, and Wieters won’t be worth over $20 million either when he is in his mid-thirties, but that is what he will fetch.

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